I have been working on trying to share my own before and after story with the Fitness Blender Family for years now. I swear that I'm not trying to use the longest buildup ever for any kind of added suspense! Every time I try to go down that path, I get distracted or stuck. A couple of months ago I filmed my entire story, but I just couldn't bring myself to edit and share. I will though. Even though it has been a challenge, I feel like I could help other people, which is what brings me back here, working on it again. My goal is to have my story ready to share within the next couple of weeks.

Update: I finally pushed it live; My Before & After Story: How I lost 40 lbs and Beat My Eating Disorder

While I was looking for pictures for comparison I found these two pictures - both of these are after the time period in which I lost 40 lbs. A lot of people are always telling me how much my shape has changed from our early workout videos and I knew my shape had changed slightly, but yesterday I came across these two; from when we first started Fitness Blender to just recently. 

The difference between these pictures; Picture 1: Under 2000 calories a day and 2 hours of cardio a day, six days a week versus Picture 2: roughly 2500-3000 calories a day (note: I do not count or track intake anymore, thankfully), 45 minute Fitness Blender workouts (strength training + a little cardio), 3-5 times a week. I'm actually heavier in the second picture. I'm not saying that one is better than the other; these are simply the changes that occurred in my body when I switched over to smarter exercise (Fitness Blender training methods versus tons of cardio) & smarter eating habits (a whole foods diet with intuitive eating, no longer keeping a restrictive diet) . With that said, my new habits are significantly more easy to adhere to/maintain and I feel much healthier, stronger, and energetic now (in the second picture). I canceled my gym membership years ago and the only equipment I ever use is dumbbells. You can find my lower body strength routines in our Butt & Thigh Program (FBbooty) but I also recommend FBFit or 8 Week FB30 for the most balanced, total body approach.

Read more about the reasoning behind this approach: Why you aren't losing weight? When cutting calories and exercising is not working

As for eating habits, I recommend steering clear of any kind of weight loss supplements, pills, shakes, meal replacement bars, "weight loss teas", starvation diets, fad diets, etc, etc. I recommend eating real, whole foods that are nutrient dense and that are as minimally processed as possible. Something slightly different is going to work for each person, so be open to finding what kind of eating style makes you feel the best.